Bhopal: In an attempt to keep the medical registry updated, the Madhya Pradesh Medical Council will soon be introducing a system for renewing doctors’ registrations every five years. Established under the Madhya Pradesh Medical Council Act, 1987, the council has registered 63,423 doctors to date, but a lack of verification at regular intervals has left the records outdated.
Neither the state government nor the council has much information about how many registered doctors are working in the state, let alone those who have left the state, retired, or passed away. In the verification drive that was conducted two years ago, it was found that only 24,000 doctors out of 63,000 responded. Now, the council is drafting a proposal to implement mandatory renewal. Once ready, it will be sent for cabinet approval.
The Madhya Pradesh Medical Council is the state agency that registers medical graduates from state colleges and those practicing in the state. However, since its formation, no strict rule was laid for periodic renewal of registrations. This led to outdated records, with addresses of about 70% of registered doctors remaining unverified.
Dr. Rakesh Malviya, Chief Convener of the Government Autonomous Doctors Federation, emphasized the need for reform. “Periodic renewal is essential to maintain an updated database of doctors. It will help track how many are still in the state, how many have moved abroad, and how many passed away,” he said.
The Federation recently submitted a proposal to the state health department, requesting to incorporate a five-year renewal rule. Dr. Malviya added, “This will not only improve governance but also ensure greater accountability among medical practitioners.”
Amidst these developments, the Medical Council began the process of electing new members, a process occurring after nearly a decade. As part of the election preparations, the council began verifying addresses of registered doctors on December 5 and by now only 945 doctors have updated their details.
In the last election, around 15,000 doctors participated, which pointed to a low level of engagement among registered practitioners. The current address verification drive will continue until January 6, 2025.
Periodic renewal of medical registration is already practiced in many states, ensuring that databases remain current. For instance:
• Maharashtra: The Maharashtra Medical Council requires doctors to renew their registration every five years. Practitioners must also complete a stipulated 30 hours of Continuing Medical Education (CME) to qualify.
• Kerala: Doctors in Kerala renew their registrations annually, with an emphasis on CME compliance. "Practicing modern medicine without registration from the Kerala State Medical Council is prohibited. Medical professionals must be registered to legally practice in the state. In case of non-compliance, the Kerala State Medical Council is empowered to take disciplinary action against hospitals, especially those that promote unregistered doctors in advertisements.
• Delhi: The Delhi Medical Council mandates renewal every five years, requiring updated documents and CME certificates.
According to an ETV Bharat report published in 2022, Madhya Pradesh needed 77,000 doctors to cater to its citizens but there were only 22,000 doctors working in the state. The ratio stood at 1 doctor for every 3,400 citizens, which is a grossly insufficient figure when compared to the WHO standard of having at least 1 doctor per 1,000 people. Data from Madhya Pradesh Medical Council showed that the state had 19 government medical colleges with 51 district hospitals, 66 civil hospitals, 335 community health centres, 1170 primary health centres, 9192 health sub-centers, and 49,864 village health centres.
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